| Sumario: | The writer examines factors that inhibited the completion of four self-administered questionnaires (SAQs) in the 1992 National Health and Social Life Survey, a large and personal-visit survey on sexual behaviors and attitudes in the U.S. The factors investigated were capacity, motivation, and sensitivity of subject. Support for the capacity hypothesis was found, indicating that literacy was a factor in completing the SAQs. Stronger support was found for the motivation hypothesis, with reluctant subjects demonstrating a lower probability of completing the SAQs themselves. With reference to the sensitivity hypothesis, the decision to self-administer did not seem to be affected by the behaviors engaged in by respondents. It was indicated that it is important to measure who completes the SAQ and to attempt to maximize the self-completion of SAQs in surveys.
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